The collection and analysis of data is an essential component of making various decisions in the marketplace. The collection of data may take on many forms including, but not limited to recording video, images, audio, hard numerical data, or the like. While the information present in data is often invaluable in many respects, it can sometimes be difficult to extract that information on which a decision is to be based. For example, in cases where the amount of collected data rises to substantial levels, confusion may arise if the data is not maintained in order. In addition, a lack of organization may inhibit an extent to which a team can analyze the data effectively.
Moreover, even if a proper conclusion has been arrived at, there may be a subsequent need to review the basis on which the conclusion was founded for one reason or another. Here again, lack of organization often obscures the train of thought that rationalized the proper conclusion. As such, there is a substantial need for a system and method for inputting, retrieving, and analyzing data in an organized and thus effective manner.
Further research includes the following pieces of literature which are each incorporated herein by reference:    1. Arai, T., Aust, D., and Hudson, S. E. PaperLink: A Technique for Hyperlinking from Real Paper to Electronic Content, in Proceedings of CHI '97 (Atlanta Ga., March 1997), ACM Press, 327-334.    2. Bellotti, V., Integrating Theoreticians' and Practioners' Perspectives with Design Rationale, in Proceedings of InterCHI '93 (Amsterdam, April 1993), ACM Press, 101-106.    3. Carroll, J., Alpert, S., Karat, J., Van Dusen, M., and Rosson, M. Raison d'Etre: Capturing design history and rationale in multimedia narratives, in Proceedings of CHI '94 (Boston Mass., April 1994), ACM Press, 192-197.    4. Conklin, J. and Begeman, M. L. gIBIS: A Hypertext Tool for Exploratory Policy Discussion, in Proceedings of CSCW '88 (Portland Oreg., September 1988), ACM Press, 140-152.    5. Holtzblatt, K. and Jones, S., Conducting and Analyzing a Contextual Interview, in Namioka and Schuler (Eds.) Participatory Design: Principles and Practice,. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, N.J., 1993.    6. Hughes, J., King, V., Rodden, T., and Andersen, H. The Role of Ethnography in Interactive Systems Design. Interactions, 2, 2 (April 1995), 57-65.    7. Jordan, B., and Henderson, A. Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice. The Journal of the Learning Sciences 4, 1 (1995), 39-103.    8. Landay, J. A., and Myers, B. A. Interactive Sketching for the Early Stages of User Interface Design, in Proceedings of CHI '95 (Denver Colo., May 1995), ACM Press, 43-50.    9. Lewis, S., Mateas, M., Palmiter, S., and Lynch, G. Ethnographic Data for Product Development: A Collaborative Process. Interactions, 3, 6 (November/December 1996), 53-69.    10. Mackay, W. E., and Pagani, D. S. Video Mosaic: Laying Out Time in a Physical Space, in Proceedings of Multimedia '94 (San Francisco, Calif., October 1994), ACM Press, 165-172.    11. Moran, T. P. and Anderson, R. J., The Workaday World as a Paradigm for CSCW Design, in Proceedings of CSCW '90 (Los Angeles Calif., October 1990), ACM Press, 381-393.    12. Moran, T. P., Chiu, P., Harrison, S., Kurtenbach, G., Minneman, S., and van Melle, W. Evolutionary Engagement in an Ongoing Collaborative Work Process: A Case Study, in Proceedings of CSCW '96 (Cambridge Mass., November 1996), ACM Press, 150-159.    13. Moran, T. P., Palen, L., Harrison, S., Chiu, P., Kimber, D., Minneman, S., van Melle, W., and Zellweger, P. “I'll Get That Off the Audio”: A Case Study of Salvaging Multimedia Meeting Records, in Proceedings of CHI '97 (Atlanta Ga., March 1997), ACM Press, 202-209.    14. O'Hara, K., and Sellen, A. A Comparison of Reading Paper and On-Line Documents, in Proceedings of CHI '97 (Atlanta Ga., March 1997), ACM Press, 335-342.    15. Pedersen, E., McCall, K., Moran, T., and Halasz, F. Tivoli: an Electronic Whiteboard for Informal Workgroup Meetings, in Proceedings of InterCHI '93 (Amsterdam, May 1993), ACM Press, 391-398.    16. Sellen, A., and Harper, R. Paper as an Analytic Resource for the Design of New Technologies, in Proceedings of CHI '97 (Atlanta Ga., March 1997), ACM Press, 319-326.    17. Suchman, L. Representations of Work. Communications of the ACM 38, 9 (entire issue).    18. Suchman, L. A., and Trigg, R. H. Understanding Practice: Video as a Medium for Reflection and Design, in Greenbaum and Kyng (Eds.) Design at Work: Cooperative Design of Computer Systems. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, N.J., 1993.    19. Swaminathan, K., and Sato, S. Interaction Design for Large Displays. Interactions 4, 1(January-February 1997), 15-24.    20. Wall, P., and Mosher, A. Representations of Work: Bringing Designers and Users Together, in Proceedings of PDC '94 (Chapel Hill N.C., October 1994), ACM Press, 87-98.    21. Wellner, P. Interacting with Paper on the Digital Desk. Communications of the ACM 36, 7 (1993), 97-96.